Blunt Force: Take an Attacker Down in Seconds

If you find yourself in a self-defense situation, having a defense weapon like a bat can strike a lethal blow to your attacker and take them down in seconds. Use these self-defense techniques to practice and give yourself the winning advantage.

Yeah, ReadyNutrition Readers, this article is about the bat. Not that flying mammal, or the derisive term used for a mother-in-law in anger…the All-American baseball bat. This wonderful piece of sporting equipment is very effective in defending yourself in addition to hitting one over the fence in center field. I know, I know, naysayers, you surely can’t carry a bat around with you wherever you travel….yada, yada. Seriously, there are several reasons to “tote” this everyday self-defense item around with you. Let’s cover them.

Batter Up!

For those of you who wish to know, my baseball bat of choice is an aluminum “T-ball” bat, a 24” job that sits directly next to my leg and within the groove of my vehicle’s front seat. I recommend aluminum over wood for several reasons. Firstly, there’s no danger of the bat splitting at the handle or breaking apart: it is sturdily-constructed. Secondly, it will not rot or deteriorate…and the aluminum bat will not rust. Thirdly, they’re pretty cheap: you can lay your hands on one in a used sporting goods store or thrift store for between $5 to $10.

It is not just for beating someone up. The bat can also be used to bust out of the vehicle if it’s trapped and you can’t open the door. Just bust out the window with the bat, and get out. How about hiking around? You can use that bat to keep an animal at bay if need be. The point is, you may also have to protect yourself without a signature, such as the sound of a gunshot. The bat is a lot quieter in this regard.

It is also a weapon that gives you some defensive distance. Muggers coming in, a pair of them armed with switchblades? If they are after me, I’ll show them how to dance with that bat in a manner they never viewed on “Star Search.” That bat gives you the distance to strike without exposing yourself to some goon who wishes to come in close.

In the following video, the demonstrators use a baton, but the same defense movements can be used with a bat.

5 Ways You Can Practice With the Bat For Self-Defense

Once again, if you don’t train with it, there’s no point in toting it with you. Another thing: even if you’re trained, it won’t do you any good unless you act. The finest equipment in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you can’t employ it. You need to practice a few things. Here are a few tips:

Find the perfect length and weight for you: I prefer that 24-incher, because I can swing it with one hand or with both. I prefer both, as I can mete out more punishment with both. Heft it and swing it. Once again, it will take some getting used to.

Old tires: Perfect to practice on with your strokes using an aluminum bat. You can hang the tire from a rope, or suspend it on a post. Whatever way is best. I recommend this because the tire can take a good beating. Your heavy bag is for your hands and feet, not for the baseball bat.

Your vital areas on an opponent (really everything, but your points of focus) are the lower legs, the arms, the neck, and of course, the head. Practice striking these areas.

Learn to “butt stroke” with the bat: holding the pommel/handle as a “pivot” point, choke up from the “fat” end, and strike with this “fat” part…akin to the “butt stroke” of a rifle butt. Targets here include the groin, the neck (calling for a “side” stroke of sorts), and the face or the side of the head. Keep this point clearly in mind: this will mean you will have to sacrifice your safe distance to get inside. USE THIS ONE TO FINISH HIM OFF! When you’re pretty sure you have him, this should be a finishing move. Either that or a “coup de grace,” such as under the “family jewels” in a stroke designed to end the fight immediately.

Use strokes to enable you to keep your distance and keep your attacker at bay. The bat works great on a pack of dogs or a pack of hoodlums.

Practice and training will be your keys on this. You must know that bat as if it is a part of you to maximize your effectiveness. I briefly mentioned the bat in an article on improvised weapons, and I return to a point I made there. Throw a baseball glove and ball in the back seat with you when you’re in a very “legally unfriendly” state or area, such as New York City or in California. This way you can cover if they give you a hard time.

Want practice? You can also go to a batting cage. Yes, that’s right! Hitting baseballs is fun, and it helps you to develop good hand-eye coordination. Do that for an hour or two and it’s also a good workout. You need every advantage you can give yourself. Fight that good fight, and try out that bat. Remember, if you’re being mugged, it’s one strike and you’re out. You want to get a “hit” your first time at bat, so practice up and turn a sporting good into a tool that you may be able to use to save your life. JJ out!

22 Comments

good advice. no license needed, and hard to shoot your foot.
a good Bowie knife, sword,or ax can work well at need, and for the close work as required.
the bat is a stealthy weapon as you note and will not attract attention like a sword, but be careful working on a person with a gun.

a bat is pretty obvious – reasonably fat and all that, and the longer it is, the easier for a partly trained person (or one w/good instincts) to get inside and make that weapon a liability. But it’s likely faster than a gun, and for close work a health body is MUCH more effective.
At one point i was capable of defending myself against any non-projectile weapon with empty hands – and it was EASIER with empty hands than if i’d had a stick or knife. Look into Escrima – it’s great fun.

If you can reach the gun, use a full power SLAP at the gun to knock it away from the holder. Then attack him full force with hands and feet. He CANNOT shoot the gun before you can slap it away simply because your slap is faster than the time it takes for his eyes to transmit your movement to his brain and the brain to send a signal to shoot to the finger. Test it with a water pistol and a friend for proof.

If the gun is NOT close enough to slap, slowly try to get closer, perhaps as you pull out your wallet to hand it to the perp. If you’re acrobatic you can do a diving somersault at the perp and kick him full power as you land on your back.

If you’re having trouble subduing the perp, go for the eyes with the thumbs and gouge them out.

Studies show that unless you use a firearm “live shooting range course” where you fire live rounds on a course with innocent and target “people” as you move – and do that 3 times per week, your reaction time is down to over a tenth of a second to pull a trigger when it’s pointed.
That means that if they are within say ten feet, you can drop, Aikido type roll, and destroy their knees before they can shoot – and then they have to reacquire the target and start all over again.
Wouldn’t want to have to put it to the test, but it’s been looked at…

If you do have a baton – don’t strike the meat of the arm, hit at the wrist, either against the direction of the attack or with a hit against the back of the hand and knife. If you can’t extend the baton ( or choose to use something like a short tabok stick – slightly wider than your palm with it protruding out both sides – if thumb side is pyramidal you can pinch and tear skin on arms etc, puncture – other rounded end can break bones in the back of the hand, etc – helps you hold your hands correctly so that you don’t hurt your hands in striking) then you can poke into the bicep and can – with a little practice – make that arm numb.
Best is to strike them at the same time as their attack was timed to hit you. then you have “stolen the march” in Bruce Lee terms, and now have the initiative. Take them down and run…

A human with almost any stick is bad news… Then there’s a knowledgeable stick wielder …someone with a smidge of training. Next, let’s imagine someone with deep training; thousands of reps of every practical move, done with focus and attention and proper intent. This is the secret of every martial art; even one you invent for yourself.

Deep training with a bat? You couldn’t get close to such a person without a gun or a spear. “Getting inside” on that brand of slugger will put you in the hospital. As a lad, too young to fully comprehend… I saw some wild gangfights. There was a fashion back then in Los Angeles; heavy chain with twin padlocks on one end. Extremely intimidating to me at the time because I witnessed, on two occasions, fellas face down, no longer moving, taking full power shots to the back of the head. That frightened me to the core, yes, but I also got to see how they did against: bats, tire irons, crowbar, and those cheap switchblades ( Rizzuto stiletto), they brought up from TJ. Keep in mind, these were gangs of teenagers battling for turf around downtown L.A. in 1960…. They knew nothing about anything. The point is ; bats and pipes or tire irons won.

Then came the gun. No one wants to get shot. This changed everything. The first gang to go there in my area were The Buddha Bandits out of Little Tokyo over on Second street. They were small, edgy, and completely surrounded. They used 22 pistols with actual aim. They had big, greased back pompadours and nice cars. Mess with one member and get shot later that night…the now famous drive by. Soon, Happy-go-lucky kids from 4th Street Clover, Eighteenth Street, and Temple, were using 12 gauge and 45. Now, everyone is priced out and those gangs work for MS13 or LAPD or both. The Bandits haven’t existed for more than fifty years…and their neighborhoods are fashionable? What a world… but yea; bats work against multiple opponents…seen it.

Not a great idea to block an attacker with a knife like that. You most certainly do not want to try to grasp the wrist as they will most likely pull back causing severe damage to your hand. Much better to move in and trap the entire arm, holding just above the elbow. No reason to waste time drawing a baton as your fist and forearm are plenty strong enough, especially on the jaw or neck as both are very weak. I think batons definitely have their place but once within critical distance they become difficult to draw.

In Shotokan we were taught to use a powerful arm strike to counteract a knife attack followed immediately by a full force hand strike at the face or neck, continuing until the attacker was out of action.

My cane is collapsible and worthless in a fight, unfortunately. But a powerful palm thrust uppercut to the chin with full follow through will do incredible damage (teeth) and knock the perp out on his back with a concussion. If you don’t want to do such damage and just want the perp knocked out, do a full force palm thrust to the perp’s forehead. That concussion will be a serious one.

That’s just stupid advice. I seen a bar brawl once where the guy had a bat swinging away. He got overtaken and the bat was used on him. A bat is an easy tool to take away and use on its person that brought it out. Never introduce a weapon in a fight that can easily be removed and used on yourself.

A good carpenter hammer is the only way to go. Handle up the sleeve with the hammer in your fist like a roll of quarters. Its discreet, one can slide it out for swinging length if need be (not recommended), it can block a bat easy and disarm any would be bat swinger or knife weilder, it has the hammer head for one hit knock outs, it has the claw to dig into flesh or remove opposing weapons, and so long as one can hold a tight grip it can not be removed and used against you.

Only a fool that wants to be hurt with said bat would ever furnish one in a street fight.

Not cop is going to ask you why you have a carpenters hammer laying around and yet its the most deadly weapon short of a gun.

Basically, if you hit something hard like the head or other bones – use something soft – heel palm, slap across the nose, slap and grab ears, etc. If you hit something soft – like abdomen, biceps, thigh muscles (hey – if that’s all you can hit – do it – and it makes the bruised muscle lose oxygenation and efficiency) as you may try to hit nerve points – use something hard like knuckles…
If a person has a weapon – the reason that makes them vulnerable is because their entire focus is almost always on using that weapon since they feel it is such an advantage. So you really have your four weapons (hands/feet) versus their one bat, baton, stick, knife, etc.